747
Effects of Propolis and Thyme Essential Oil as a Biofumigants on
Growth Performance Parameters of Hatching Eggs
A. Bulancak and M. Baylan
The University of Cukurova, Agricultural Faculty, Department of Animal Science, Adana, Turkey.
Abstract
This research was conducted to determine the effects of propolis and thyme essential oil on growth performance parameters which could be an alternative to chemicals used at disinfection. Two thousand and one hundred sixty unwashed, non broken-cracked, normal sized, (uninfected with feces and pad) clean hatching eggs from 39 wk aged of Ross 308 were divided into seven treatment groups, disinfected by dipping method with 2 doses (10% and 20%) of Propolis (P1-P2), 2 doses (8 and 16 ml/L) of Thyme essential oil (Origanum onites L., T1-T2), ethyl and isopropyl alcohol (Negative Control), Formaldehyde (Positive Control) and untreated group (Control). Best chick weights obtained from isopropyl alcohol group as 45.816gr and T2 group as 45,697gr.
At the end of incubation period, 630 chicks were taken into fattening program about 5 weeks. The overall mortality rate has been detected as 4.13% and highest loss was 0.42% at P group at second week. 5th live weight values were obtained as T2 (2468.51gr), P1 (2453.24gr), P2 (2445.12gr), T1 (2367.44gr), P (2359.45gr), E (2340.06gr) and formaldehyde (2298.10gr) respectively (P<0.05). The best results at feed conversion ratios were 1.420 at T1 and 1.429 at T2 group. Significant differences between application groups were found in inedible viscera, heart (female), gizzard, right leg, back and carcass weight values (P<0.05).
In the light of foundings obtained from study; it is concluded that T1 (8ml/L) and P1 (10% concentration) doses can be used at disinfection of hatching eggs by dipping method as an alternative to formaldehyde without affecting incubation and growth performance negatively by decreasing microbial load.
Key Words: Hatching egg, Disinfection, Propolis, Thyme oil, Carcass
